This invention relates to the field of portable devices and, in particular, to systems and methods for sensing or determining user activities and responding to the user's activities.
Portable devices, such as cell phones, are becoming increasingly common. These portable devices have grown more complex over time, incorporating many features including, for example, MP3 player capabilities, web browsing capabilities, capabilities of personal digital assistants (PDAs) and the like.
Some of these portable devices may include multiple sensors which are used to detect the environment or context associated with these portable devices. For example, U.S. patent application publication no. 2005/0219228 describes a device which includes many sensors, including a proximity sensor and a light sensor. The outputs from the sensors are processed to determine a device context. The light sensor detects ambient light levels and the proximity sensor detects a proximity to an object, such as a user's ear or face. In this case, there are two separate sensors which require two openings in the housing of the device. This is shown in FIG. 1, which shows a device 10. The device 10 includes a proximity sensor 12 mounted on a surface of the device 10 and an ambient light sensor 14 also mounted on the surface of the device 10. Each of these sensors is distinct from the other, and separate openings in the surface are needed for each sensor.